Letter-slide for rural free-delivery mail-boxes.



F. J. BANTA.

LETTER SLIDE FOR RURAL FREE DELIVERY MAIL BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I5, 1915.

1 200,9 1 5 v Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

lm/knew I I igg I /aum I W0 FERDINAND J". BANTA, OF RED BIRD, MISSOURI.

LETTER-SLIDE FOR RURAL FREE-DELIVERY MAIL-BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed October 15, 1915. Serial No. 56,054.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FERDINAND J. BANTA, acitizen of the United States, residing at Red Bird, in the county ofGasconade, State of Missouri, have invented a new and usefulLetter-Slide for Rural Free-Delivery Mail- Boxes; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Heretofore, the postmen in rural free delivery routes have experiencedgreat difliculty and inconvenience, in removing the mail from the ruralmail boxes, particularly in extreme cold weather, and when the postmanis wearing gloves. In other words, it has been found difficult, in coldweather to pick the letters or mail matter up from the bottom of themail box by a gloved hand.

Therefore, this invention relates to an improved letter slide for ruralfree delivery mail boxes, the object of which is to provide meansconsisting of a slide, so connected to the door or closure of the mailbox, that when the door or closure is open, theslide is moved forwardly,bringing the mail with it, so that it may be easily and quickly graspedby a gloved hand of the postman.

In practical fields the details of construction may necessitatealterations, falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, ashereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the rural free delivery mail box,showing the letter slide applied thereto in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional View through the mail box showing the slidetherein. Fig. 3is a detail view of the slide.

Referring more especially to the drawings, 1 designates the mail box,which may be any suitable construction or configuration, and which isprovided with a closure 2 hinged at 3. The closure is provided with ahandle 4, and secured in the free moving end of the closure by means ofthe nuts 5 is a bolt 6 having an eye 7 to which the eye 8, of the link 9is connected. The link 9 is in turn connected at 10 to the letter slide11,

shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and in section in Fig. 2. The slide 11consists of a plate constructed from a single piece of sheet metalhaving its rear end portion bent at 12, extending upwardly substantiallyat right angles to the plate forming a flange 13. The forward end of theplate is bent at 14:, and is extended downwardly forming a flange 15, towhich the link 9 is connected. The portion of the slide between theflanges 13 and 15, it will be seen extends at an angle to the bottom ofthe mail box, so as to hold the letters up from the bottom of the box.It will be noted that when the closure 2 is swung open downwardly, thelink 9 pulls upon the slide, and moves it to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 2, so that the postman may easily insert a glovedhand and easily and quickly grasp the letters or mail matter upon theslide, and extract them.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and usefulis In combination with a mail box having a hinged closure, a slideresting upon the bottom of the box, said slide consisting of a plateconstructed from a single piece of sheet metal having its rear endportion bent up at right angles to the body of the plate, and itsforward end portion bent downwardly at right angles to the body of theplate, connection between the forward downwardly bent portion and theclosure, the body of the plate between the forward and rear bentportions extending at an acute angle to the bottom of the box, saidplate forming the slide being of less width than the width of the box,said plate and the connections between it and the closure being of suchproportion that the upwardly bent portion at the rear of the plateextends substantially to the rear of the mail box when the closure isclosed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FERDINAND J. BANTA.

Witnesses:

CLEM. C. SEWELL, HERMAN KINKEAD.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0}-

